Interdisciplinary Historian-Architect (Historic Preservation)

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Duties

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of one of the nation's leading agencies and programs in historic preservation. The incumbent serves as an Architect or Historian specializing in Historian Preservation in the NPS Technical Preservation Services (TPS) Division, which administers the Federal historic rehabilitation tax credit program leveraging $7-$8 billion annually in private investment in the rehabilitation of commercial and other income-producing historic properties, generating economic development, market-rate and affordable housing, and jobs; promulgates the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, widely used and adopted at the Federal, state, and local levels; and develops highly regarded and consulted historic preservation guidance and technical information on preserving and rehabilitating historic buildings. For more information about TPS and what it does, see the TPS website at https://www.nps.gov/tps.

The major duties of the Interdisciplinary Historian/Architect (Historic Preservation) position include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Make tax credit certification decisions for historic rehabilitation projects based upon conformance with The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and the regulations and other guidance for the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives Program.
• Research and analyze the significance of complex and diverse cultural resources, including buildings of many architectural styles and periods, and determines their historic significance and character-defining features, if they contribute to the significance of historic districts, and whether they meet the criteria for inclusion in the National Register.
• Conduct sophisticated independent research into specific problems, techniques or concepts related to historic rehabilitation, code requirements and materials conservation, and applies authoritative knowledge and expertise to address technical assistance needs and to solve critical problems from the public and private sectors, staff, public officials, and technical preservation experts as appropriate to solve problems and address needs.
• Communicate orally with program applicants and the general public related to the tax incentives program, historic rehabilitation guidance, and technical preservation topics; serves as liaison with State Historic Preservation Offices to coordinate on program reviews and ensure consistent interpretation of program policy and standards in oral communications; makes presentations on the tax incentives program, historic rehabilitation issues, and technical preservation topics.
• Communicate in writing with program applicants and the general public related to the tax incentives program, historic rehabilitation guidance, and technical preservation topics; demonstrates problem-solving and creative thinking in all communications; serves as liaison with State Historic Preservation Offices to coordinate on program reviews and ensure consistent interpretation of program policy and standards in written communications; prepares written materials on the tax credit program, historic rehabilitation standards, and technical preservation topics.
  
  

Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
• Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
• If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
• You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 2 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
• You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.
• The position to which you will be appointed is subject to a financial disclosure reporting requirement and you will be required to complete a new entrant Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) within 30 days of your appointment.
  
  

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-07/15/2024-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience.

To Qualify For The Interdisciplinary Historian/Architect (Historic Preservation) Position, You Must Meet The Following Requirements By The Closing Date Of This Announcement:

BASIC REQUIREMENT - Historian: 0170 Series: A degree in history; or related field that included at least 18 semester hours in history.

• OR- A combination of education and experience. Courses equivalent to a major in history, or a major in a related field that included at least 18 semester hours in history, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
  
  

BASIC REQUIREMENT - Architect - 0808 Series - Degree in Architecture; or related field that included 60 semester hours of course work in architecture or related disciplines of which at least (1) 30 semester hours were in architectural design, and (2) 6 semester hours were in each of the following: structural technology, properties of materials and methods of construction, and environmental control systems.

• OR-
  
  

A Combination Of College-level Education, Training And/or Technical Experience That Furnished (1) a Thorough Knowledge Of The Arts And Sciences Underlying Professional Architecture, And (2) a Good Understanding, Both Theoretical And Practical, Of The Architectural Principles, Methods, And Techniques And Their Applications To The Design And Construction Or Improvement Of Buildings. The Adequacy Of Such Background Must Be Demonstrated By At Least One Of The Following:

• Related Curriculum - degree in architectural engineering may be accepted as satisfying in full the basic requirements, provided the completed course work in architectural engineering provided knowledge, skills and abilities substantially equivalent to those provided in the courses specified in paragraph A. The curriculum for a degree in either architecture or architectural engineering covers functions, esthetics, site, structure, economics, mechanical-electrical, and other engineering problems related to the design and construction of buildings primarily (but not exclusively) intended to house human activities. The courses required for a degree in architecture generally place emphasis upon planning, esthetics, and materials and methods of construction while the courses for an architectural engineering degree place equal or greater weight on the technical engineering aspects such as structural systems, mechanical systems, and the properties of materials. Because of this difference in emphasis, persons with degrees in architecture may have a preference for work assignments that offer greater opportunities for them to express their artistic and creative abilities. As a result, they may be more concerned with planning and design aspects of architecture and persons with degrees in architectural engineering may be more engaged in aspects emphasizing technical engineering considerations.
• Experience: An applicant lacking a degree in architecture must have had l year of experience in an architect's office or in architectural work for each year short of graduation from a program of study in architecture. In the absence of college courses, 5 years of such experience is required. This experience must have demonstrated that the applicant has acquired a thorough knowledge of the fundamental principles and theories of professional architecture.
  
  

In Addition To The Basic Requirements Listed Above, To Qualify For This Position At The GS-11 Grade Level, You Must Possess All Of The Following Minimum Qualifications By Close Of The Announcement:

EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Experience at this level must include all of the following: (1) Apply under supervision the theories, principles, practices, and techniques of historic preservation and architectural conservation to rehabilitation projects; (2) Professional experience applying under supervision the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation to historic rehabilitation projects; (3) Use, review, and prepare under supervision narrative descriptions of work and/or treatment plans, architectural plans and specifications, condition assessments, and/or other technical reports for historic rehabilitation projects; (4) Demonstrated expertise in historic architecture and American architectural history and experience applying under supervision that expertise to historic rehabilitation projects; (5) Evaluate under supervision historic significance, integrity, and the physical condition of historic properties using landmark designation reports or other such reports that evaluate historic significance and conduct research and documentation of historic buildings. ***You must include hours worked per week.***

-OR-

Have 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree (coursework directly related to position being filled);

-OR-

An appropriate combination of specialized experience and graduate level education (beyond what is required for a master's degree, i.e., more than 36 semester hours leading to a Ph.D.).

In Addition To The Basic Requirements Listed Above, To Qualify For This Position At The GS-12 Grade Level, You Must Possess All Of The Following Minimum Qualifications By Close Of The Announcement:

EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Experience at this level must include all of the following: (1) Apply independently the theories, principles, practices, and techniques of historic preservation and architectural conservation to a wide and diverse range of historic rehabilitation projects and types of historic properties; (2) Professional experience applying independently the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation to a wide and diverse range of historic rehabilitation projects and types of historic properties; (3) Use, review, and prepare independently narrative descriptions of work and/or treatment plans, architectural plans and specifications, condition assessments, and/or other technical reports for a wide and diverse range of historic rehabilitation projects and types of historic properties; (4) Demonstrated expertise in historic architecture and American architectural history and experience applying independently that expertise to a wide and diverse range of historic rehabilitation projects and types of historic properties;

• Evaluate independently historic significance, integrity, and the physical condition of a wide and diverse range of historic properties and historic property types using landmark designation reports or other such reports that evaluate historic significance and conduct research and documentation of historic buildings. ***You must include hours worked per week.***
• See Education Section for Additional Information**
  
  

Education

You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies". Experience listed as full-time will be credited at 40 hours per week

Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Additional information

A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected. The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay.

A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR

• 575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive.
  
  

A Relocation Incentive May Be Authorized for a Federal employee when the employee must move, as directed by the National Park Service (NPS) either through a management directed reassignment or selection for employment, to a different location at least 50 miles away from the one where his/her position of record held at time of selection is currently located, due to a need of the NPS. A relocation incentive is not the same as a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move and, as such, may be granted in conjunction with one another.

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor.

Physical Demands: The work is normally sedentary, but it does require occasional travel when long days and physical stamina may be needed. Purposes of travel include on-site inspections of historic properties when rehabilitation construction work is underway. Travel also includes attendance at professional conferences, where workday may be long or extended into weekends. Some tax credit applications may be quite large and include sets of large-format architectural drawings.

Working Conditions: The work environment normally involves everyday risks or discomforts typical of offices, meeting room and archives. The normal work area is adequately lighted, heated and ventilated. Travel for on-site inspections may expose incumbent to extreme weather conditions and to a construction site environment where appropriate precautions for personal safety are necessary.

The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

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• Help Help A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  
  

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position. A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating.

Candidates Will Be Rated And Ranked Using Category Rating Procedures. These Procedures Place Candidates With Veteran's Preference Above Non-preference Eligibles Within Each Category. Veterans With a Service Connected Disability Of At Least 10 Percent Are Listed In The Highest Quality Category, Except When The Position Being Filled Is Scientific Or Professional At The GS-09 Grade Level Or Higher. Under Category Rating, Candidates Will Be Rated And Ranked Into One Of Three Categories:

• Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position
• Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job
• Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.
  
  

You will be evaluated on the following competencies:

• Architecture
• History and Archaeology
• Oral Communication
• Writing
  
  

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of additional assessments, including a panel resume review. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

The panel resume review includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.